Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: The Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) has shut down more than 223,000 websites and apps involved in online betting and illegal financial transactions.
The government’s 100-point action plan on governance reform, issued on March 27, included measures to prevent online betting and scams.
Point 42 of the action plan states that the Ministry of Information and Communication will shut down betting apps and related websites within 24 hours.
In line with the decision, all betting websites operating in the country at the time were shut down. However, new betting websites have continued to emerge under different names even after the previous ones were blocked.
The NTA said it has shut down 223,568 such apps and websites since the beginning of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The telecommunication sector regulator stepped up action after the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers expressed particular concern that the use of such betting apps could increase during the World Cup.
The NTA has also formed a separate task force to address the issue.
According to Om Prakash Mahato, an assistant director and engineer at the NTA and a member of the task force, representatives of internet service providers (ISPs) were stationed at the NTA office after the World Cup began to block such websites.
Mahato said the URLs used to operate such websites are being blocked in coordination with ISPs.
